Stop motion for braiding machines



1956 B. HUTNI'CK 7 STOP MOTION FOR BRAIDING MACHINES Filed June 12, 1953 United States Patent STOP MOTION FOR BRAlDING MACHINES BenjaminrHutnik, Maiden, Mass. Applicafion-June-H} 1953, serial rie-2161, 171 z cl'ims. (Ci. 87--1s This invention relates to a stop mbtion for stopping a braiding machine if any one of a number of warp threads thereon breaks; Elastic'ta'p'es are made on machines of this type, rubbe'f'thireads' biiig used foiithe warp. Fibrous threadssuch as cotton are braided about the warpthreads by-moving bob'binsof such threads in and out between the warp threads} Machines of this type are-customarily supplied with driving mechanism for the spindles which carry the bobbins, the driving mechanism including a clutch operated by a hand lever.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a braiding machine with mechanism which operates automatically to throw out the clutch and thus to stop the machine whenever any one of the warp threads breaks. For this purpose a rod is attached to the clutch lever and is axially movable to rock the lever so as to throw out the clutch. The rod carries a spring which presses it toward the clutch-opening position. The rod is normally held against clutch-opening movement by a latch which engages in a lateral notch in the rod. A trigger is provided for each of the Warp threads and is supported in an elevated position by such thread. If a thread breaks the corresponding trigger falls and releases mechanism which withdraws the latch from the notch in the rod and permits the spring to throw the clutch out and stop the machine.

For a more complete understanding of the invention reference may be had to the description thereof and to the drawing of which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary elevational view of a braiding machine having stop motion mechanism thereon;

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary elevational view of a modified form of the invention.

The braiding machine illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 includes an elevated circular platform which is supported by a number of standards 12 one of which is shown. The platform 10 supports two series of spindles 14 which are movable in sinuous paths. The mechanism which moves the spindles is not shown but is well known in the art. Each spindle 14 carries a bobbin 16 containing a body of suitable thread which is carried in and out around the elastic warp threads 20. These threads are each drawn from a spool 22 mounted on a stand comprising a shelf 24 which is supported by a vertical post 26. A weight 28 may rest on the top of each spool to provide suflicient friction to put a desired amount of tension on each Warp thread 20. The thread 20 leads from the thread body on the spool 22 through a hook 30 at the end of an elongated trigger 32 which is pivoted as at 34 to the shelf 24. The thread 20 leads from the hook 30 up through a tubular guide 36 and thence to a take-up roll 40 for the braided tape 42.

Beneath the shelf 24 is a vertically slidable element 44 which is pressed downward by a spring 46, but is retained in the position shown in Figure 1 by a hook 48 which catches under a stud 50 projecting from an edge of the element 44. The hook 48 is maintained in engagement with the stud 50 as long as the trigger 32 is in its elevated POsitionshowninFigure '1', the'hook' 48 being connected to the trigger 32 so as'to rock therewith aboutthe'pivot 34." When lthe trigger is released bya breaking of the thread 20 it drops tot-he" positionshown in broken'lines in lapping relationship. The disc 54 is normally supported" in the position shown in'Figure 1 by a weak spring 58" carried by a vertic alpost-60onwhich the disc 5'4 and "its hub 62 are vertically'slidable;

The foregoing: desor'iptionoffthesupport for "the warp thread spool applies" to the others of "acirc'ular series" of supports-and spoolsarr'an'ge'd around theposffifl; Each' spool has associated therewith a finger" 52 adapted'to depress the" disc 5'4if" the" corresponding element 44 is released' by a breaking"ofthe thread-201mm that spool. Whenthe'disc 54is depress'edby' any one of the'fingers 52', itfpullsdownwardja link 64' 'wl'iich is'attachedt'o the hub62'anfd c'onnectsthe hiibf to'thehor'izont'al arni 66'of a bell -cranle 68 which" is rockablymo'unted" on a shaft 70 supported by brackets 72 which extend down from the platform 10 and are a part of the main frame of the machine. The bell-crank 68 also has a vertical arm 74 which is a latch normally engaging in a notch 76 in the side of a rod, the rod being longitudinally slid-able in the brackets 72. A spring 89 is pressed between one of the brackets 72 and a collar 82 pinned on the rod 78 so as to press the rod toward a lever 84 to which it is pivotally attached. The lever 84 is pivoted as at 86 and is rockable to engage and disengage the members of a clutch 90 which connects a source of power (not shown) to the means for driving the spindles 14. This driving means includes the clutch 90, bevel gears 92 and a vertical shaft 94 which is connected by means (not shown) to the spindles 14 and which also drives the take-up roll 40.

When a thread 20 breaks, the corresponding trigger 32 is allowed to fall releasing the element 44 thereunder, the latter being pressed downward by its spring 46 to dedepress the disc 54 and rock the bell-crank 68. This moves the latch 74 from the notch 76 so that the spring acts through the rod 78 to rock the lever 84 and disengage the members of the clutch 90, thus stopping the machine.

In some machines the warp threads are drawn from a warp beam (not shown) each thread leading to a separate guide-eye 92 such as is indicated in Figure 3. According to the invention a trigger 32 is provided for each warp thread 20 and is arranged with respect to the corresponding guide-eye 92 so as to hold the trigger in the position shown until the thread breaks. The release of the trigger operates in the manner thereinbefore described to bring about prompt stopping of the machine.

Iclaim:

1. In a braiding machine having a main frame including an elevated circular platform, bobbin-carrying spindles in said platform a circular series of warp thread guides on said platform, a stand for a spool of warp thread under each said guide, and driving means for said spindle-s including a clutch and a lever operable to engage and disengage the clutch members; stop mechanism comprising a rod slidably mounted on said frame and attached to said lever, spring means on said rod biased to rock said lever to disengage the clutch, said rod having a notch in a side thereof, a bell-crank rockably mounted on said frame with an upright a-nn normally engaging in said notch to hold said rod against clutch opening movement, said bell-crank also having a horizontal arm, a link pivotally attached to said horizontal arm and ex- Patented Dec. 18, 1955 The element 44' has a" tending downward therefirom, a vertically slidable member attached to the lower end of said link, spring means supporting the weight of said slidable member and link to maintain said bell-crank arm engaged in said notch, a vertically slidable element carried by each said stand under the spool thereon, each said element having a portion overlapping a portion of said vertically slidable member, a rockable hook depending from each said stand and normally engaging the slidable element thereunder to hold said element against downward movement, spring means on each said stand pressing the corresponding slidable element thereon downward, and an elongated trigger operatively connected to said hook and normally engaged by a warp thread from the spool to hold said hook in engagement with said slidablevelement, the parts being so arranged that when the trigger is released from the on said platform, a stand for a spool of warp thread under each said guide, and driving means forsaid spindles including a clutch and ,a lever operable to engage and v V 4 disengage the clutch members; stop mechanism comprising a rod 'slidably mounted on said frame and attached to said lever, spring means, on said rod biased to 7 rock said lever to disengage .the clutch, said rod having a notch in a side thereof, a bell-crank rockablymounted on said 'frame with an upright arm normally engaging in said notch to hold said rod against clutch opening movement, said bell-crank also having a horizontal'arm, a

link pivotally attached to said horizontal arm and extending downward therefrom, a vertically slidable member attached to the lower end of said link, spring means support-ing the weight of said slidable member and link to maintain said bell-crank am engaged in said notch, an elongated trigger for each said spool supported in an elevated position by the warp thread from its spool, and

means operable by release of any said trigger to depress said slidable member sufliciently to disengage said bell crank arm from said notch; j, a a

References Cited in the file of thispatent 7 V UNITED STATES PATENTS Barolet May 12, 1925' 1,631,082 Branco ...'..May 31, 1927 1,778,848 Dame .4... Oct. 21, 1930 1,801,134- 7 Blaisdell Apr. 14, 1931 

